Fire ladder extension apparatus

ABSTRACT

Ladder extension means for fighting fires comprising a portable support positionable in a window or other wall opening. The support is provided with means for fixedly bracing it against movement, and means at its outer end to receive a ladder. The means for receiving the ladder is movable so that the ladder may be positioned in selected altitudes with respect to the building providing extension from the wall opening to another part of the building, such as from floor to floor.

United States Patent 1191 Mendes [451 July 23, 1974 [76] Inventor:

[ FIRE LADDER EXTENSION APPARATUS Robert F. Mendes, 42 Pearsall Pl.,Merrick, N.'Y. 11566 [22] Filed: Mar. 14, 1973 211 Appl. No.: 341,143

52] U.S. c1... 182/86, 182/152 [511' Int..C1. E060 1/34 [58] Field ofSearch 182/57-58, 7 182/115, 83, 85, 86,151, 63, 66, 68

[56] References Cited Q 9 UNITED STATES PATENTS 489,628 1/1893 Colleret.182/66 640,645 1/1900 Fall 2,310,062 2/1943 Broncato 2,491,621 12/1949RODS 182/58 2,586,531 2/1952 Gordon 182/68 2,969,123 1/1961.lamerson.....

3,010,534 11/1961 Borke 182/58 Primary Examiner-Reinaldo P. MachadoAttorney, Agent, or Firm-Bauer & Amer 57 9 ABSTRACT Ladder extensionmeans for fighting fires comprising a portable support positionable in awindow or other wall opening. The support is provided with means forfixedly bracing it against movement, and means at its outer end toreceive a ladder. The means for receiving 1 the ladder is movable sothat the ladder may be positioned in selected altitudes with respect tothe building providing extension from the wall opening to another partof the building, such as from floor to floor.

19 Claims, 14 Drawing Figures 1 JUL23I974' PATENTEU Wm M 3.825.086

nu m m ow mv N.\U ow ow mm S 3v 3 mm on mv vm K mm mm y m mm k x N9 on E4 E A N mm WWW). HYJHQHLIQII 3 R wk BACKGROUND OF INVENTION The presentinvention relates to firefighting apparatus and particularly toapparatus for extending ladders and the like from floor to floor ofhigh-rise buildings.

While fire fightingequipment is generally very advanced andsophisticated, a particular problem is found in fighting fires inhigh-rise buildings, that is buildings over nine stories orapproximately 100 feet in height. At the present time there are manybuildings of this size, and even greater, in every city in the world andmore are being built every day. Such buildings have a brick, aluminum,or other material facade, and are characterized by an excessiverectangular array of windows and steel and concrete floors, walls andpassages. The windows are usually closed and non-openable to provide ahermetic seal for the heating and airconditioning systems. Consequently,the individual floors although apparently fire proof"constitute a highlyinaccessible and virtually impregnable container for any fire which mayoccur'in'the furnishings, walls etc., thereof andfor victims caughttherein. It has been the experience of fire fightersthatany fire in amodern high-rise building results in the creation of a trap and I thatat present the most effective manner of fighting such fires hasmerelybeen to contain it to one or two floors until it has run its course. Asa result considerable damage and possibly great loss of life occurbefore the fire can be extinguished.

This problem is most serious when the fire occurs on the upper storiesof such building since the excessive smoke and heat generated preventsaccess to the floor on which the fire occurs, from within the building,and the excessive height prevents stringing of ladders on the exteriorof the building to gain access to that floor from without. At present,any point or floor above nine stories or above approximately 100 feetcannot be reached from outside the building with ground bound laddersnor is there any effective means for reaching such levels from outsidethe building.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a system andapparatus for carrying it out which provides the fireman with ability togain access to the upper stories of high-rise buildings for himself andfor the necessary equipment to fight the fire.

It is another object to provide ladder extension means for gainingaccess to the upper floors of the high-rise buildings. A

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a ladderextension by which a ladder may be strung between the upper floors of ahigh-rise building and which may be easily used for equipment andpersonnel.

It is another object of the present invention to provide ladderextension means by which a fire in the upper stories of a high-risebuilding can be reached, remotely, from a lower floor and which may beadapted to contain fire equipment which may be remotely operated toventilate the upper building and to supply a stream of water fromoutside the building while also providing a portable fire escape for theoccupants to seek refuge in the floor below.

These objects and advantages as well as the advantages arising out ofthe specific details of the present invention are set forth in thefollowing disclosure of the preferred embodiments of the invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention firefighting apparatus is provided comprising a portable support which I maybe positionable in a wall opening such as a window or a hole createdforthis purpose. The support is provided with means to brace it againstaxial movement in the opening and to anchor its inner-end to the floorof the building. Extension means is mounted at the outer end of thesupport which is adapted to receive and hold a ladder at an angle to thesupport. The extension means is movable so that the ladder may beselectively tilted and positioned along the side of the building.

Preferably, the extension is movable freely in one direction andincrementally supported in the other, so that the ladder mounted in itcould be made to move with some degree of force against the building tostrike and break remote windows, or similar panel structures.

The extension means is preferably mounted on a rotatable table which maybe swung full circle in a horizontal plane so that the ladder seated onit could be made to similarly rotate. As a result of this ability andthe ability to tilt the ladder, the ladder may be positioned so that itstip can cover a wide area or expanse of the building facade. I v

The present apparatus has the advantagethat fires at high and remotefloorscan be fought without firemen going directly to that floor fromthe building interior using elevators and stairs that are often unusablebecause of smoke and heat. That the building may be pierced and waterand other equipment delivered from a remote position even though thefire is so high up that conventional equipment would not be able toreach it..

Further in accordance with the present invention, means are mounted atthe end of the ladder to facilitate the breaking of glass window panelsor similar building panels so that access to the building remotefrom'the support can be obtained. The breaker means may be mounteddirectly on the end of the ladder or it may be mounted on a water nozzleor hose pipe secured to the end of the ladder. This enables thefloorwherein the fire rages to be ventilated and possibly soaked withwater before the firemen scale the ladder. As a result injury to firemencan be substantially reduced.

Full details of the present invention are set forth in the followingdescription and depicted in the accompanying drawings. a I

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings, FIG. 1 is aperspective view of the apparatus of the present invention placed in'usein a window of a highrise building,

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the apparatus of FIG. 1, in partialsection,

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view showing in detail the bracingmember,

FIG. 4 is an enlarged detailed view of the ladder extension andsupporting tormentor,

FIG. 5 is a section along line 5-5 of FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 is an enlarged detailed view similar to FIG. 4, partiallysectioned showing the ladder stop or keeper means,

FIG. 13.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The details of the present invention may bemore eas- FIG. 8 is a front elevation view of a building and its ilyunderstood by reference first to FIG. 1 wherein it is shown completelyinstalled and in use combating a fire of a second form of glass in ahigh-rise building generally depicted by the numeral 10. schematicallythe building comprises a plurality of generally horizontal floors 12,enclosed in a facade having windows 14 (in which the apparatus is shownto be located) framed by verticalmullions l6 and horizontal lintels orsills 18. For. the sake of exposition itis to be. assumed thata fire,indicated by smoke cess by normal means is not possible. I

The apparatus of the present invention comprises an elongated supportingtruss 24'having a horizontal deck 26, made of steel mesh, rubber orsimilarmaterial in an 20, is in progress at the top most floors 22, towhich aceasy tracking surface. In general the truss may be of anylength, although a suitable lengthfor convenient use will be about 6 10feet. Depending from the deck are rectangular side frames 28 which havea horizontal top rail 30 extending above the deck and a horizontalbottom rail 32 spaced below'the deck, adapted to rest on the window sill18. At the rear end or the endnormally to be positioned within thebuilding, the truss is provided with a pair of braces 34 (FIGS. 2 and 3)each comprising a screw jack 36 pivotedly connected at one end to bottomrail 32and fixed at the other end to a fastening plate'38 having holes40 through which suitable bolts, spikes or other means may be driven tosecure the plate 38 to the floor of the building. The jack 36 has anadjustment handle-by which the screw can be .extended or retracted .toplace the deck 26 on a horizontal plane. The frontor the forward end ofthe truss 24 is provided with a pair of parallel bracing arms 42 whichcurve backwardly at an angle with respect to the deck and below it. Thebracing arms 42 are integrally secured, as by welding, to-a rectangularchannel member 44 which is disposed transverse to the longitudinal axisof the truss. Movably extending from each end of the channel member 44is a supporting rod 46 which may be adjusted so that both rods 46 spanthe distance between at least two of the buildings mullions 16, or intheir absence to span asufficientlywide section'of the building-to givesupport to thetruss.

Mounted to be adjustable along the bottom rail 32 is an inside supportbrace 48 (FIG. 3). The inside brace 48 comprises a transverse bar 50 inthe center of which an abutment block 52 is fastened to the rails 32 bya wing nut and screw 54 extending through a slot 56. The

block 52 and the transverse bar "50 are thus movable along the axisofthe truss toward and away from the inside wall of the building. It maybe preferred to provide hooked grippers 58, securedby a'thumb screw 60at each of the ends of the transverse brace bar 50 to further enhancesecurement against the inside wall partic-' ularly when such walls areunevenor when heating or air conditioningequipment or the like arelocated directly in front of the window.

Vertical brace poles 62 (FIGS. 1 and 2) in the form ofa telescopingrodand sleeve, are provided to hold the truss within the window frameitselfEach pole 62 has an open channel piece 64 at its lower end which graspsover the edge of the top rail 30. The rod and sleeve are providedwith aseries of holes 66 into which a retaining pin 68may be placedoncethepole is extended to its desired length. The upper or outer end'of thepole is provided with an adjustable screw jack 70 similar but smallerthan the screw jack'36, the end of which hasa show '72 which fitsabuttingly against the lintel of the window frame. I

Located atthe forward or'exterior end of the trussis "a turntableassembly, generally depicted by the numeral 74. Asseen in FIG. 2, theturntable assembly comprisesahorizontal ring shaped thrust plate 76which is integral with, and preferably a continuation of, r the deck 26.The plate 76 is provided with annular ball sponding to the groove 78 inthe thrust plate 76 and.

ball bearing 86 are located therebetween. A shaft 88 extends verticallywithin thehub 84 and is supported by an arm 90 secured to the truss. Thelower bearing plate 80 is provided with a bevel gear 92 about its'outer,circumferential edge which meshes with a bevelled pinion 94 mountedatthe end of a central shaft 96 which extends axially through the truss 24beneath the deck 26. At the re-ar end of shaft 96 is located a crankwheel 98 having a handle by which it may be turned. The circumferentialedge of the crank wheel 98 is provided with a plurality of uniformlyspaced holes 100 into which a locking pin 102 pivotally mounted on thetruss is insertable. Because of the annular race grooves 78 the bearingplates 80 and 82 are thus rotatable; about the shaft 88 through 360clockwise or counterclockwise, merely by rotation of the crank wheel 98and it is lockable in any desired position by the locking pin 102.

Secured tothe upper bearing plate 82 is a turntable surface 104 to theouter edge of which a ladder boot 106 is pivotally mounted by a pair ofhinges 108. As seen in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, boot 106 comprises a pair ofthick metal open ended channel members 110, which extend beyond the edgeof the turntable surface and which are joined by a cross piece 112, intowhich a lad-v end by a fixed journal bracket 118 to the boot cross piece1 12 and having a free end constituting a pawl 120 restingon anelongated rack 122 secured face up on the turntable surface 104. Therack 122 comprises a plurality of uniformly spaced teeth comprisingrisers 124 and treads 126, against the latter of which the pawl 120 ofthe jack 116 is adapted to abut. The angle of the treads and risers aresuch that the abutment of the pawl stabilizes the boot in the givenangular position, while permitting simple release and adjustment whendesired.

Pivotally mounted at the pawl 120 is a pressurerelase lever 128, held bya cross pin 130. The edge of the release lever 128 is coextensive withthe end of the pawl 120 and is also adapted to rest on the tread 126,extending as seen in FIGS. 4 and 5 parallel to the surface of the tread.Thus, by depressing the release lever 128, in the direction of the arrowA,.the pawl is caused to be disengaged from the tread and will slidedown the riser due to the weight of the boot 106. By maintaining therelease lever 128 depressed the pawl may be made to move quickly andeasily from one end of the rack 122 to the other. Preferably actuationof the release lever 128 is effected by pressing on it with the foot.The pawl 120 can be made to elevate up over the riser merely by movingthe boot 106 counterclockwise, i.e., increasing its angle.

Preferably the rack 122 is sufficiently long to provide for an angularrange of boot elevation from 0 to 90. To prevent the boot 106 fromtipping over and falling outward from the truss, the rack 102 is coveredby a slotted shroud 132 which is closed at its forwarded end 134 andopen at its rear end 136. The shroud 132 covers the extending pin 130,holding the release lever 128, which may be removed from the rear end136 but which is stopped by the forward end 134. To provide for furtherand close adjustment of the angle of the boot the jack 116 is providedwith an adjustment collar 138. Y

A ladder bank assembly generally depicted by the numeral 140 is adaptedto beremovably inserted within the boot 106. The ladder bank 140comprises (FIG. 1) a bed ladder 142, a fly ladder 144 and at least oneextension ladder 146 nested within each other and provided with a flyhalyard 148 and securing locks 15.0. The ladder bank and the individualbed, fly and extension ladders are generally conventional in structureand arrangement and any standard aluminum or wood or combinationassemblies may be used, even those employing hand and guard rails andtruss rail construction. The bed ladder 142, however, is provided with astop member 152 extending from outer surfaces of each of its side rails154 near their upper ends. These stops 152 act to abut against the topedge of the boot 106 and limit the movement of the bed ladder in theboot. Further, the bed ladder is provided with a halyard 156 one end ofwhich may be permanently fixed to the lower rung of the bed ladder orprovided with a removable snap-hook 158. Both the fly halyard 148 andthe bed halyard 156 are adapted to run over pulley sheaves 160 (FIG. 2)which are mounted on the boot and pass over (FIG. 6) of the bed ladderrise above the horizontal plane of the turntable. To fix and hold theladder assembly in this raised condition, a'pair of latching keepers 164are mounted to the turntable surface in line with the channel members110 of the boot. The keepers 164 are manually shoved beneath the feet162 of the bed ladder and provide a bottom on which the ladder assemblywill rest. Because of the weight the ladder assembly latches should besecure. However, to insure further that they will not move, the latchmay be made with a freely movable bolt held in a slotted housing havingfixed angular transverse slots to hold the bolt from axial movement.Preferably, the end of the keeper 164 is provided with a spherical knob166 to cooperate with an angular bracket 174 in which a bolt 176 extendsinto 'a longitudinal slot 178 formed in the side frame and which is heldby a wing nut or the like. Fastening of the wing nut holds the platformsecurely in coplanar with the turntable surface. A third platform member180 is provided which comprises a rectangular plate, having a pair ofparallel arms 182 extending from each of the short edges which arm fit'swithin a key way 184 (FIG. 4) formed on the exterior surfaces of theboot channels 110. The keyway 184 is located above the lower end ofchannels 104 so that the third platform 180 lies in a horizontal planeabovethe turntable thus not interfering with the ability of theturntable and the boot to rotate about a full 360, as seen indottedlines in FIG. 7.

The ladder. assembly, serves not only to support .firemen attempting toreach the site of the tire itself but serves also as an extensible meansby which the firemen can perform numerous acts from a remote distance.Thus, as seen in FIG. 1, a ladder pipe 186 is secured to the end wingsof the extension ladder, by suitable and conventional quick disconnectclamp 188. A water" hose 190 leads from the pipe 186 into the buildingor to the street where it is connected to a source of water. The pipe186 may be manually operated or it may be remotely operated by guideropes, etc., as is well known. To direct the water from the pipe 186anyone of a number of nozzles 192 may be used. To further aid in thefire fight a window glass breaker assembly 194 is provided which fitsover the nozzle and extends forwardly thereof. The breaker assemblycomprises a pair of heavy steel rods 196 running parallel to each otherand to the axis of the nozzle. The arms are held by a cross member 198which are provided with ring like snap fittings adapted to be secured onthe nozzle, the nozzle being made with cooperating grooves to receivethe fittings. The breaker assembly may be secured on the nozzle by otherfastening means, such as clamps, bolted and screwed'about the nozzle,screw fasterners or the like.

In general, pipe fittings and nozzle supplied for use on extension andfly ladders have several degrees of movement. Firstly, the head of thepipe to which the nozzle is' attached may swing about the longitudinalaxis of the pipe. Secondly the nozzle may also rotate with respect tothe pipe about the longitudinal axis of the nozzle. As a result the tipof the nozzle and the breaker assembly can be made to move incorresponding directions and assuine a large if not infinite number ofattitudes.

To illustrate the use of the equipment of the present invention, wereturn to the assumed fire condition at I 7 the top floor of a high risebuilding. The sequence of operation is depicted in FIGS. 8 through 12-,as well as inFlG.1. v

The equipment being easily portable because of its size, weight ofmaterials, and separability of its several parts. such as the truss andladder in particular, is carried by the fire crew directly to the situsof operation. Generallythe equipment will be carried up the elevator,stair shaft, or by pulley and winch along the side of the building to awindow position one floor directly below that containingthe fire orother target area. A crew of no more than-five to six men are necessary.When reaching the selected window, the window is removed. Inhermetically sealed buildings windows are not easily removed and a sheetof pressure-sensitive tape (Scotchguard No. 898,3-M Corp) must be placedover the inside of the window, so that the glass may be broken withoutshattering splinters into the street or on the firemen working below ornearby. The pressure sensitive tape ispierced with a Halligan Hook orthe like and the broken glass peeled inwardly into the building. Afterthe window is cleaned of all'shards, the

truss 24 without the ladder'bank, is placed through the window and itsbottom rail 32 allowed to rest onthe sill. The truss is thendrawnbackinto the building until rods 46 of outside brace member 44 abut againstthe facade of the building. Thereafter the insidebrace member 48 isshifted forwardly to engage the inside wall of the building anditsretaining wing nuts 44 locked. The hook like guppies 48 may also bepositioned if the wall is uneven or if its additional safety valueisrequired. At the same time the floor brace 34 is positioned, itsjack46 extended and its floor plate 48 fastened to the floor 12. Inconcrete buildings the fastening may be accomplished by ramsetting astud rivet or bolt with a hydraulic hammer, or Ramset gun of known type.The ladder bank 140 is then slidintothe boot 106 until its cleat or stop152 abuts the top end of the boot channels 110. Preferably, theextension ladder 146 is extended and secured with respect to the flyladder 144 so that the ladder pipe 186 and nozzle 192 may be clampeddirectly to the extensiomlt will be noted from FIG. 4 that on insertionof the ladder back into the boot 106 a major portion of ladder extendsbelow the edge of the turntable surface 104. This causes the ladder topivot the boot and to assume a generally vertical position with aportion of the ladder bank below the turntable surface; the ladder bankbeing prevented from falling by the stops 152. Thereafter the bed andextension halyards are placed about the sheaves 160 and the bed ladderraised above the level of the turntable surface. As soon as this is donethe keepers 164 are latched in place below the feet 162 of the bedladder and the ladder allowed to rest against the building-On raisingthe ladder bank, the ratchet and pawl tormentor is allowed to movefreely and automatically forward and then backward until the position ofthe ladder is obtained. The platform members 168 and 180 are thenpositioned inplace as are the vertical bracing poles 62. This can bedone by a fireman mounting the truss, as the truss is otherwise firmlyplaced in the window and on the floor. The brace poles 62 act to preventrocking or tilting movements of the truss once firmly placed between thelintels and the guard rails.

Thereafter the fire crew is ready to go to work on the fire or targetarea. The turntable is rotated by manipulation of its crank wheel 98 andthe-fly ladder 144 extended bypulley on its halyard 148 until the nozzle192 is poitioned opposite and approximately 2 feet away from the objectwindow on the top floor. As seen in FIGS. land 8, because of theflexibility allowed by the 360 rotating table, the swing of the pipe andthat of the nozzle, the nozzle may be placed in front of any one ofseveral windows on the top floor, to give access to any one desired.Generally several windows on the top floor will be utilized in the firefight either to be broken for ventilation or to be broken or removed togain access to this floor. When the ladder is positioned in'front of thedesired window the crank wheel is locked by pins 102 and a crew manstands on the deck 26 at the tormentor. The crewman releases thev pawlof the tormentor by pressing on the lever 128 allowing theladder bank tofall against the building and the nozzle to fall against thewindow. Theforce of the falling ladder will cause the breaker assembly 194 to breakthe 'window. If this is not accomplished on the first try, the man maythen reposition the ladder away from the building and repeat the processby again-releasing the lever 128. He may also assist the ladder byviolently shaking it'if he wishes. The pointed breaker assembly 194 isgenerally sufficient to break most windows'without violenteffort,however, with some doublepanesafety glass windows, several tries may beneeded, particularly to completely clean the window'of all glass}.Additional effort can be exerted on the ladder by a fireman using a 6foot pipe hooked over the ladder rungs. The ladder falling toward thebuilding pushes the glass into the building thus preventing a showeringof broken glass into the street or on the truss below. The turntable isrepositioned, ,the ladders are extended or retracted, and the procedurerepeated at as many windows as are needed to obtain the desired. accessor ventilation.

I Once the windows are opened, the fireman have numerous workingoptions. A stream of water can be. directed through the hose and nozzleinto the top floor. Generally a stream of 50 60 psi may be used. Thisshould clean out the windows and remove any fire from about the window.The fireman may climb the ladder to the top floor with a hand hose. Todo this the ladder is first retracted and the tormentor released so thatthe ladder leans against the sill of the top floor window. Rescueoperations may also be conducted, the firemen leading the victim downtheladder, under conventional procedure. The ladder may be placed at a72 angle to the wall of the building so that the victim may more easilyclimb down it. Lastly, the ladder may be used to carry equipment to andfrom the top floor to fight the fire thereon. It is most likely thatduring the course of fighting the fire each of these options may beemployed.

The number of uses to which the present apparatus may be put aredependent solely upon the ingenuity of the tire crew employing the same.Because of the portability of the equipment the apparatus may be carriedto places which are otherwise inaccessible to normal equipment. Becauseof the rotatability of the turntable and the ladder bank mounted on it,and the ability to direct the nozzle and breaker assembly as desired,the fire fighters, the water stream and'other devices may be directedpointedly at the'source of the fire, the place where victims may belocated, at at any desired target area. Above all the present apparatusallows access to floors and areas directly above the tire fighter and atwhich the firecrew is located.

When operations are complete and the fire extinguished, the auxiliaryequipment, hose, pipe, etc., are removed and the platform members takenoff. The tormentor is operated to place the ladder in vertical position,the ladder bank closed and the ladders lowered through the boot. Theladder bank is then tilted to rest on the'deck and then removed from theboot into the buildingqThe ladder bank is in an assembled andimmediately reusable condition. The brace poles and. floor braces areremoved and the truss withdrawn from the window. The truss assembly alsoremains in an unitary condition and is immediately reusable. Exceptfor'the need to clean the equipment after use, none of the equipmentneed be rebuilt, repaired, or replaced. This isparticularlyadvantageous, since it is most likely that the equipment mayneed to be moved during the course of fighting a fire from one floor toanother and from one side of the building to another.

In FIGS. 13 and 14, a modified version of breaker assembly is depictedwhich is mounted directly at the end of the extension ladder 146 and noton the water nozzle. As seen a pair of cylinders 200 are pivotallysecured at 201 to the ends 202 of the ladder rails and are held by across member 204. The cylinders 200 retain a piston rod 206 loaded by.aheavy spring .208. The spring may be connected to a rope 210 which maybe manually pulled or wound about a winch to compress the spring 208. Onrelease of the restraining rope or the winch on which the rope may bewound, the spring 208 will force the rod 206 forwardly with a strongwindowbreaking force in a ram action. The rod 206 may also be actuatedby providing a release catch (not shown) against which the rod may beprecompressed and held, the catch being released by a pull on a ropeconnected with such catch, allowing the spring to freely push the rodforwardly. Suitable latches orcatch means 212 are provided to hold thecylinders in position perpendicular to the ladder. The hose nozzle 192may also be mounted to the cross member 204 as shown in FIG. 13.

As will be seen from the foregoing, the present invention providesgreatly improved equipment for fighting fires, particularly in high-risebuildings. The disclosure is illustrative and enabling one skilled inthe art to reproduce the equipment and use it with no difficulty orexperimentation and allowing the user to make any of severalmodifications and changes. It is not intended that the disclosure belimiting of the invention in any manner.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for fighting firesin high rise buildings comprising aportable support positionable through a wall opening and securable withrespect thereto to extend outwardly therefrom, extension means connectedwith and movable on and relative to said support, a ladder connectedwith said extension means and to be supported thereby at an angle andfor movement relative to said support, whereby said ladder may beextended in length away from and retracted to said support along theoutside of the building.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said support is elongatedhaving a deck adapted to be supported on a sill of the wall openingabove the floor thereof, and a brace extending downwardly from the rearend of said support including means for anchoring said brace to thefloor.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said brace includes meansadjustable in length whereby said brace may be extended or retracted toadjust said deck relative to the floor.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2 including a table rotatable in ahorizontal plane at the forward end of said support, said tablesupporting said extension means, and means for rotating said table intoselected positions.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 means on said support for remotelyadjusting the position of said table.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said extension comprisesat least a channel member having an open end to receive said ladder,said channel member being pivotably secured to said table and includingmeans for supporting said channel member in selected angular positionswith respect to said table.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 including means on said channelmember and selectively movable to engage and retain said ladder in itsextended position.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said means for supportingsaid channel member'comprises an elongated arm secured at one end tosaid channel member and resting at its other end 'on a rachet membersecured to said table havinga plurality of fixed stop positions.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8 including means for releasing saidarms fromsaid rachet stop positions to permit release of said extensionmeans.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 including operable ram means onthe endof said ladder, means connected with said ram means to operatethe same to break glass when so rammed.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10 including a hose nozzle securedto said ladder, said ram means being mounted on said' nozzle.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said ram means comprisesat least one pointed instrument.

13. Fire fighting apparatus comprising a rotatable base, a ladder bootpivotally mounted along said base and having means for receiving thereina ladder end first, said ladder boot being freely movable in onedirection from a first position horizontal to said base to a'secondposition substantially vertical to said base, a tormentor incrementallybracing said boot to allow stepped movement thereof in the oppositedirection from said second to said first positions, an extension ladderslidable within said boot, said boot being pivotally displaced from saidfirst to said second position by the weight of said ladder, whereby atleast a portion of said ladder depends below said base, means forraising said ladder above said base in said second position and meansfor fixedly maintaining the ladder so raised.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13 wherein said ladder comprises anassembly of two or more ladders extensible with respect to each other.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14 including means for releasingsaid tormentor from incremental bracing to cause said ladder to dropfrom said vertical to horizontal position.

'a floor of the building with a portion of said apparatus extending fromthe interior of the building floor and outward of the building exterior,ladder means on said portable apparatus extending exterior of thebuilding and movable up and down relative to another floor of thebuilding with respect to which the apparatus is secured, and means onsaid apparatus at the building exterior connected with said ladder meansto move the same relative to the exterior of the building.

18. A portable fire apparatus for use in a building as in claim 17,means on said apparatus for supporting a fluid hose exterior of thebuilding for movement up and down and sideways relative to said otherfloor and relative to the secured apparatus.

19. A portable fire apparatus for use in a building as in claim 18,force applying means on said apparatus to apply a window breaking forcefrom the exterior of the building, and means on said apparatus tooperate said force applying means remote therefrom.

1. Apparatus for fighting fires in high rise buildings comprising a portable support positionable through a wall opening and securable with respect thereto to extend outwardly therefrom, extension means connected with and movable on and relative to said support, a ladder connected with said extension means and to be supported thereby at an angle and for movement relative to said support, whereby said ladder may be extended in length away from and retracted to said support along the outside of the building.
 2. The apparatus According to claim 1 wherein said support is elongated having a deck adapted to be supported on a sill of the wall opening above the floor thereof, and a brace extending downwardly from the rear end of said support including means for anchoring said brace to the floor.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said brace includes means adjustable in length whereby said brace may be extended or retracted to adjust said deck relative to the floor.
 4. The apparatus according to claim 2 including a table rotatable in a horizontal plane at the forward end of said support, said table supporting said extension means, and means for rotating said table into selected positions.
 5. The apparatus according to claim 4, means on said support for remotely adjusting the position of said table.
 6. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said extension comprises at least a channel member having an open end to receive said ladder, said channel member being pivotably secured to said table and including means for supporting said channel member in selected angular positions with respect to said table.
 7. The apparatus according to claim 6 including means on said channel member and selectively movable to engage and retain said ladder in its extended position.
 8. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said means for supporting said channel member comprises an elongated arm secured at one end to said channel member and resting at its other end on a rachet member secured to said table having a plurality of fixed stop positions.
 9. The apparatus according to claim 8 including means for releasing said arms from said rachet stop positions to permit release of said extension means.
 10. The apparatus according to claim 1 including operable ram means on the end of said ladder, means connected with said ram means to operate the same to break glass when so rammed.
 11. The apparatus according to claim 10 including a hose nozzle secured to said ladder, said ram means being mounted on said nozzle.
 12. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said ram means comprises at least one pointed instrument.
 13. Fire fighting apparatus comprising a rotatable base, a ladder boot pivotally mounted along said base and having means for receiving therein a ladder end first, said ladder boot being freely movable in one direction from a first position horizontal to said base to a second position substantially vertical to said base, a tormentor incrementally bracing said boot to allow stepped movement thereof in the opposite direction from said second to said first positions, an extension ladder slidable within said boot, said boot being pivotally displaced from said first to said second position by the weight of said ladder, whereby at least a portion of said ladder depends below said base, means for raising said ladder above said base in said second position and means for fixedly maintaining the ladder so raised.
 14. The apparatus according to claim 13 wherein said ladder comprises an assembly of two or more ladders extensible with respect to each other.
 15. The apparatus according to claim 14 including means for releasing said tormentor from incremental bracing to cause said ladder to drop from said vertical to horizontal position.
 16. The apparatus according to claim 15 including means for limiting the extent of movement of said ladder in said boot.
 17. A portable fire apparatus for use in a building comprising releasable means to releasably secure said portable apparatus inside the building with respect to a floor of the building with a portion of said apparatus extending from the interior of the building floor and outward of the building exterior, ladder means on said portable apparatus extending exterior of the building and movable up and down relative to another floor of the building with respect to which the apparatus is secured, and means on said apparatus at the building exterior connected with said ladder means to move the same relative to the exterior of the building.
 18. A portable fire apparatus for use in a building as in claim 17, means on said apparatus for supporting a fluid hose exterior of the building for movement up and down and sideways relative to said other floor and relative to the secured apparatus.
 19. A portable fire apparatus for use in a building as in claim 18, force applying means on said apparatus to apply a window breaking force from the exterior of the building, and means on said apparatus to operate said force applying means remote therefrom. 